Behind the Scenes
by Wandering Violinist
Summary: Marley discovers that perhaps she and Kitty aren't as different as they might seem. Marley's POV.


_Note: I'm not yet sure if this will be a oneshot or if I will add another chapter at some point. That might depend on what everyone thinks of this so far. Any ideas for a possible next chapter or two are welcome! _

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"Morning, Loser. All by yourself today?"

I closed my locker just in time to see two guys standing a few feet away from me. They were football players, I knew that much, and since they were standing there with large grins on their faces, they were probably up to no good.

"Don't… bother her today. Allow me." I watched as Kitty appeared from behind the two boys and stared them down, and not more than three seconds later they were walking briskly away in the opposite direction. They gave each other confused looks as they retreated, leaving Kitty and I in the hallway, flanked on one side by a thinning crowd of kids rushing to their next class.

"What is it today, Kitty?" I asked. She looked at me with a weird expression, one I'd never seen on her, especially when she dealt with me. There was a different look in her eye, perhaps it was guilt, or something else, I couldn't exactly tell. Kitty glanced around before looking me in the eyes and explaining herself.

"I just feel like giving you a break today. Watching you get picked on by myself and almost everyone else in this school gets so tiring after a while."

I looked at her, raising an eyebrow, as she began walking away. "Thanks…?" I watched Kitty go and couldn't help but wonder if there was something else she wanted to say. I quickly realized that thinking about it wouldn't help; I didn't understand Kitty, and I tried to shrug away my thoughts, but as I walked to my next class, I couldn't help but think about her.

That afternoon, I shuffled into the choir room a minute or two before the bell was set to ring, making my way over to the center of the room to greet everyone just as Artie hushed everyone in order to make some sort of announcement.

"Hey, guys! Who's up for partying Saturday night? My parents are gonna be away for part of the weekend, so why not, right?"

Almost immediately, everyone murmured their approval of Artie's idea as we waited for rehearsal to begin. I must have looked uncertain, because Artie patted my hand and the others gave me reassuring looks. "Don't worry, it'll be totally safe," he said. "We're just gonna hang out, welcome everyone back and welcome you and Jake, of course."

Everyone nodded in agreement and I blushed. "Okay, thanks guys. I-I'll be there."

Rehearsal went by without a hitch, and as soon as the bell rang, everyone jumped up and left the choir room, except for Artie, who had forgotten to give me his address earlier. He scribbled it down on a little piece of paper and placed it in my hand before taking off. I thanked him as he disappeared and I remained there for a moment, staring at the paper in my hand. I was beginning to feel nervous, mostly because I'd never been to any kind of party before, but I quickly reassured myself that there was nothing to fear. Everyone said it would be fine, so why worry?

Just as I was about to turn towards the door, I felt someone watching me. I moved suddenly, and I saw what I thought were the ends of a skirt swish by the room's doorframe. For some reason, I instantly thought of Kitty and wondered why she would possibly be watching me. Perhaps she had been planning all day to do something to me, in order to get back at me after letting me go this morning. I knew it was possible that a random stranger could have innocently walked by instead, but something wanted me to believe that it was her. I peeked slowly out into the hallway, but whoever it was that had been by the doorway was nowhere to be found. I took a few deep breaths and stepped out of the choir room, glancing around on the way to my locker for the girl who I could no longer seem to ignore.

"Just give me a call when you're ready for me to come get you."

I walked up to the front passenger door of the car with its window halfway down, and I smiled at my mom. "Okay! Love you."

We waved goodbye and she drove away, leaving me to walk up the short walkway to the door of Artie's house. It was a decent sized house and it looked harmless, but the shouting I could hear from the inside worried me. Instead of knocking on the door, I decided to turn the door handle and let myself in. As I stepped inside, to my surprise, everyone was already there. I never expected a high school kid to want to show up on time to anything, but as I stepped inside and looked around at my peers, I suspected that the smell of what I assumed was alcohol and the cups in everyone's hands had something to do with their punctuality.

"Hey, Marley!" Jake found me first, and he smiled at me as a bunch of girls I didn't recognize trailed behind him.

I smiled back and tugged at the bottom of my sweater. "I was only expecting everyone from the glee club to be here…"

"No, no! Everyone's here! Hey, you want a drink?"

I frowned and shook my head, staring at the plastic cup in his left hand. "No thank you."

Jake stared at me for a few seconds, then as the other girls started giggling and pushing him around, he said, "Ok, well, I'll see you around!" They left me alone and I wandered further into the house, wondering if maybe I should just leave. But I had been invited to a party for the first time in my life, so I told myself it wouldn't hurt to stick around for a little while. As I wandered towards the music and voices coming from further inside, that familiar feeling of being watched hit me again. I turned around quickly and caught my shadow, who attempted to hide behind a halfway open door leading to another room of the house.

"Kitty? What are you doing?"

She stepped out from her hiding place and pointed a finger at me. "I was just making sure you weren't putting any moves on Jake. I know how you are. You act all sweet but on the inside you're ruthless."

She stomped away, and as I watched Kitty go I thought that maybe it was the other way around, that Kitty was projecting a strange reflection of herself onto me. She was ruthless on the outside and kind, perhaps even a little scared, on the inside. But what I couldn't figure out as I continued walking through the house, was why she chose me to project that onto. It hurt to remember all the things she'd said about me both behind my back and to my face, but the more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became. There was definitely more to Kitty than what was on the surface, and I promised myself that I at least make an attempt to find out before the night was over.

After following the shouting and laughing for a bit, I finally found some familiar faces gathered around in what appeared to be part of the living room. I waved as some of the kids looked in my direction, and a few waved back while others turned their attention back to whatever it was they were doing. Sam looked up at me and I walked carefully over to him, stepping over a person or two lying on the floor.

When I reached the couch where Sam was, I sat down next to him and scanned the room again before looking back at him. I couldn't help but notice his hands and compare them to almost everyone else's; he wasn't holding a cup full of alcohol. "You're not drinking?"

He smiled at me and shook his head. "Nope. Someone's gotta be the designated driver, or babysitter, in this case. If they're not drunk yet they will be soon. I don't think Blaine is drinking either, though."

I nodded and leaned back, surveying the room once more. I caught the attention of Artie and a few others from across the room and waved at them before turning back to Sam.

"So, have I missed anything?"

"Not really, everyone's just been wandering around and drinking. Give it an hour or two, and someone will want to start playing some kind of game. You know, like spin the bottle or something."

I laughed nervously, hoping that it wouldn't come to that. I knew that people could be amazingly talented at coming up with the most awkward, personal questions, and I could only imagine what I would have to do if I chose to participate. After a few minutes of worrying, I told myself to just enjoy the night for what it was; maybe I would learn a few things about everyone else instead.

A few hours after I managed to get comfortable, a fair amount of kids began to leave for the night and those of us who remained sat around in the living room, wondering both silently and aloud what to do next. All of a sudden, Artie clapped his hands together, startling half of the kids nearby, and with a laugh he asked, "Who wants to play a game? How does Truth or Dare sound?"

Some of the kids groaned and turned away, deciding to explore the rest of the house, while the remaining kids gathered around in the center of the room, creating a poorly shaped circle. I joined them, tucking my legs underneath me, and waited to hear Artie explain the rules, if he was even going to do that. I'd never played before, but I had watched enough movies and things on TV to have an idea of how it was supposed to go.

After giving up at his attempt to explain the rules, Artie officially began the game, and it went on rather uneventfully for about ten minutes. I watched as everyone else had a turn during that time, half of them taking on some rather tame dares while the others chose to reveal embarrassing things about themselves. Most of the kids in the circle were from glee club, so I felt a little relieved, knowing that they probably wouldn't have me do anything I was uncomfortable with, but there were also a few of the more popular kids present. I was still surprised that they decided to come to the party, knowing that the majority of us were on the opposite end of the school's social ladder. I was naturally more worried about what those kids might do if it was their turn to dare me… and I became even more unsure of the cheerleader sitting across from me. The whole time we were in our makeshift circle, I could feel her eyes boring into my skull, and I still couldn't figure out why. Perhaps it might've helped if I had looked at her, into her eyes, but I was too afraid that I might draw more attention to myself, so I kept my gaze trained on the floor.

It was Kitty's turn for the second time, and this time when Artie asked her "Truth or Dare?" she responded with the latter. Some of the more popular kids gasped and whispered as they waited for Artie's dare.

"I dare you... to spin that bottle, and _kiss_ whoever it lands on."

"Okay," Kitty said without hesitation. She reached for the plastic soda bottle inside our circle and gave it a harsh spin. There was a mixture of emotion in the circle as everyone stared at the bottle, turning and turning until it inched to a halt. I looked down along with everyone else to see that the bottle had stopped with its top pointed directly at me. The room erupted with shouting once again and I continued to stare at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone. I wasn't sure what I was feeling in that moment, it might have been a combination of fear and excitement. I was about to be kissed by the last person I expected… and my mind was reeling.

"Whenever you're ready," was all Artie said. Everyone was still jeering, but that made me think. Most of them were probably intoxicated at that point, and although I didn't know the specifics of alcohol's effects, I hoped that maybe, just maybe, everyone watching what was about to happen would forget it all the next day. I hoped that, but something in the back of my mind told me that watching a girl kiss another girl wasn't something a teenage boy, or perhaps even a girl, would want to forget, especially when the two girls in question were from opposite cliques. I could only imagine the rumors and things that would spread after a part of the student body witnessed such a thing. My thoughts were quickly diverted as Kitty crept into my field of vision, closing the gap between us. I was still looking at the ground, trying not to look into Kitty's eyes, when I felt her hand touch my chin and push up on it.

"Eyes up here," she said with a smirk. I looked away from her thighs and fully realized how close she was to me. For a moment it felt like I couldn't move; I was consumed by something, maybe it was awe, or maybe it was just the nerves and uncertainty that had been with me all night. But the one thing I did know was that I wasn't afraid of her anymore, and that confused me. If I wasn't afraid, then what was it that I was feeling about her?

"S-sorry," I managed to say. She gave me a puzzled look and moved even closer, her knees touching mine.

"You're so weird."

I gasped when Kitty's hands enveloped mine and a shiver went up my spine as my body registered their iciness. She leaned closer and my body began following hers, my eyes closing at the same time as if I was entranced. The moment our lips touched, the presence of everyone else in the room ceased to be and my mind focused solely on the two of us. As Kitty's soft lips pressed against mine, I fought desperately with myself to push away the thoughts in my mind that told me exactly what it was I felt. Her tongue easily found its way past my lips and I heard myself whimper as she ran it across my teeth. It felt as though we had been there for ages, but it couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds. As Kitty pulled away, I opened my eyes and the world around us returned. Everyone in the circle was talking louder than before, and I felt my face heat up. Before she returned to her spot across from me, I felt Kitty gently squeeze my hands.

Artie looked dumbfounded, as if he couldn't believe what he had just seen. Someone nudged his arm and he shook his head, seeming to return to his senses. "Okay… Kitty, you get to pick someone now."

The game continued for only a few more minutes before some of the kids got up, either to get more to drink, to leave for the night, or to do something else, and not long after that, Artie and the few of us remaining decided to call it a night. Some of the kids wandered around the house, others fell asleep on the floor where we had played, and I retreated to a quiet part of the house to call home. It was about time for me to leave; after that kiss I didn't want to have to deal with anyone there, especially Kitty. As the phone rang on the other end, I found myself looking around the room I was in, that feeling of being watched from earlier haunting me once again.

My mom answered the phone and promised to pick me up as soon as possible, adding that she hoped I had a nice time and that I was safe. I answered in the affirmative and hung up after we said good bye. I glanced around, noticing that the feeling I had of being watched was gone, and I walked back to the living room, letting my friends know I would be leaving, and watched as a few more kids I didn't recognize filtered out of the house before me.

A few minutes later, Artie escorted me to the front of the house, calling out to everyone else to leave, save for a few of the Glee kids who had either fallen asleep or asked to stay the night. "I'm glad you could make it, Marley," he said. "Did you have fun? How was that kiss?"

I blushed and put on a smile as I opened the door. "I had a great time, thanks for inviting me."

He smiled, probably noticing my reddening face. Artie opened his mouth to speak but was immediately interrupted by a shout coming from nearby.

"Hey, wait up!"

Artie smiled wider, and I turned around, looking in the direction of the voice's origin as Kitty rounded the corner, hopping over while trying to put on her other shoe.

"This party was okay, I guess. Good thing there was alcohol or it would've just been a loser get- together." Kitty then turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "You're going outside, right? Good. I need someone to be my human shield in case some delinquent comes by looking for trouble while I wait for my ride."

Artie looked sullen, then he motioned to the doorway that I was in the process of stepping out of. "Goodnight, you two. See you on Monday, Marley."

"Goodnight," I said, feeling bad for Artie as he watched us leave. When I was alone with Kitty, waiting by the sidewalk in front of the house, I turned to face her and asked what had been on my mind for some time.

"Why are you so mean to everyone in the glee club? What did we ever do to you?"

Kitty looked at me and rolled her eyes. "Is that really what you want to talk about right now? When we're all alone like this?"

I blinked and uncrossed my arms. "Excuse me?"

"Don't tell me you already forgot about that kiss. You didn't have anything to drink!"

"I-I didn't forget it…"

"Well, kiss me again and I'll answer your question. There's something I need to figure out."

She stepped closer and I held a hand up. "Wait. Did you feel it too? Is that why—"

"Just kiss me!" Kitty pulled my hand down and held it firmly as her lips crashed into mine. This time I gave in to the feeling running rampant throughout my body, and I ran my free hand through her blonde hair as our tongues entwined. Our kiss deepened, and I felt Kitty's right hand grasp my hip tightly, followed by her hips grinding against mine. I heard her moan and I immediately pushed her away, watching as Kitty licked her lips, looking at me with an annoyed expression on her face.

"What the hell?"

I bit my lip, beginning to regret what I had done, but then I remembered the reason why. "We can't do this here. What if everyone in the house is watching? And… isn't someone supposed to pick you up soon? Do you want them to find us like this?"

"Sounds like _you _don't." Kitty walked away, looking down at the dimly lit street.

"Kitty, wait." She turned around, so I continued, "I… I didn't want to stop."

"Oh, really?" Kitty stepped up close once again, running a hand down the front of my body. She hesitated when she reached my chest, and then continued until she reached my upper thigh, shifting her hand until she rested it between my legs. "So you wouldn't want to stop… if we did it right now?"

I closed my eyes and exhaled as she pressed her right hand against me. Every rational thought in my head evaporated as we stood there, and anything I might have wanted to say before was gone. She might have wanted an answer, but I struggled with all the new feelings rushing through my body and mind.

"I…"

All of a sudden, the darkness of my closed eyelids was illuminated by a light beam from down the street. I opened my eyes and we both took a step away from the other. The car pulled up and stopped a few feet away from us. Kitty smiled and walked slowly towards the parked car. Before she opened the car's front passenger door, she looked back at me.

"To answer your question, I have a role to play, just like you. That doesn't mean we can't do things like this, though, behind the scenes. Maybe I'll see you on Monday." I watched, speechless as she stepped into the car, leaving me in front of the house with my thoughts.

Not more than a few minutes after that, my mom arrived outside of Artie's house, and I practically jumped into the car. I must have had a stupid smile on my face or something, because she looked at me with an amused expression and said, "It looks like you really did have a good time."

"Yeah, I was worried about it at first, but everyone was really nice. I think I made a new friend, too."

"That's great!" Mom said, patting my shoulder. "I knew it; I knew this school would be great for you."

We drove away from the house, and I smiled the whole way home, reflecting on what happened and what could be. But then I stopped myself: what if this was some sort of trick? Kitty hadn't always been nice to me, and maybe this was something she could use against me in the future. I didn't want to believe that, though; I realized that the feelings growing in me were real and I wanted to believe that Kitty felt the same. The only way to find out for sure would be to confront her again, but when? I knew she wouldn't talk about this easily, especially when surrounded by prying eyes.

_Behind the scenes… _I opened my eyes, knowing what I had to do next. Maybe everyone would start talking, but I had to find out for sure what Kitty felt about me because I knew exactly how I felt about her.


End file.
